What is Domain Parking?

You type in what you think is the domain name of a particular site, but instead you find yourself at a generic-looking page with many links relevant to the site you were looking for. This is a “parked” domain. Perhaps you mistyped the site address, or you appended the wrong top-level domain.

Domain parking can be extremely lucrative, if you register domains with a view to sell them on at a later date but aren’t sure what to do with them in the meantime, parking them can be a good idea. There are many sites that offer a domain parking service (please see our homepage http://www.themainparking.com), which generates the page with the pay-per-click links on it that redirect the traffic from the parked domain to relevant sites and pay you per click.

Another method is to set up your own parked page, and put pay-per-click ads up on it (this method can be time consuming if applied to multiple domains).

The main attraction of domain parking is the ease with which it can be conducted with the domain parking companies automating much of the process.Another form of domain parking is registering a domain that you know people are likely to type instead of your actual domain name, and having it redirect to your site. This method can direct relevant organic traffic towards your site.

Parked domains are domains that do not have a hosting account associated to them, and that are usually enabled with URL forwarding capabilities or through changing the default name servers, so that they point to an existing website. For example, let’s assume that you already run a forum that is hosted in a subdirectory of your Domain Name, as follows: http://www.example.com/forum/index.html. You may at one point want to register a separate domain name for your newsletter, so that it is more memorable, but may not want to move its pages to a new server, open a new hosting account, or pay to establish an add-on domain. The best option therefore is to register and park a new domain for your newsletter (for example: http://www.forum.com), which will be forwarded to http://www.example.com/froum/index.html. Your new domain can be registered with any company (preferably one that offers free URL forwarding). From a web users perspective the typed in domain: http://www.forum.com, will not remain in the browser address bar, but will change to http://www.domain.com/forum/index.html as soon as the page is displayed.

Parked domains can also be useful to webmasters whose site is hosted by a free hosting service, this allows the long and difficult to remember web address given with the free hosting account to be substituted with a domain name relevant to the website.

URL forwarding of parked domains can also be used effectively by forwarding traffic to affiliate programs and earning a commission.

Sub Domains

A sub domain, also known as a third-level domain, is a very good way to create memorable web addresses for various sub-sites of your website. For example, Google uses sub domains for its different services, like maps.google.com, news.yahoo.com, video.google.com etc. The basic syntax is: http://subdomain.domain.com. Sub domains can be used effectively to establish branding and promote new products and services. For example, a chain store may establish sub-domains for different cities, or a university can set up sub domains for different academic programs. Traffic from sub domains can also be redirected to different sites or sub domains.

Add-On Domains

If you have a website established and wish to set up another the best most effective way is to use add-on domains. This method allows you to make the most of your web space and available bandwidth. You can add on domains to your original hosting account, this will ensure that you make the most of your available space without paying out for additional accounts.

An add-on domain is a new domain name that points to a subdirectory within your existing domain hosting account, where the website for the new domain will reside. Add-on domains must be registered domain names that you own, and that are configured to point to your web host’s servers. From a web user perspective, an add-on domain functions just like any other domain. For example, if you already have a hosting account under www.maindomain.com, you can register and set up an add-on domain (for example: www.addondomain.com), so that when your visitors type http://www.addondomain.com in their browser, they will be transported to the new site, allowing for site individuality.

Statistics for add on domains are also available as individual sites on your hosting control panel. Utilizing add on domains is the most effective method of creating multiple individual websites.

Parked domains, add-on domains, sub-domains and URL forwarding can all be set up and overseen from your control panel of your hosting account.

Trademarks, Cyber squatting and Typo squatting

Cyber squatting is the practice of registering a Domain Name which is either a trademark, or resembles one. Most cyber squatters aim to redirect traffic for financial gain, by parking the domain name at a page with lots of pay-per-click advertisements, or by setting up a similar business to the target domain name and feeding of brand recognition.

Reselling the domain to the target company for a large profit is also popular. Illegal phishing sites have also been set up where by duplicate pages of legitimate sites such as bank or credit card companies are created in order to farm the users personal details.

Typo squatting is a similar practice to cyber squatting, the typo squatter will register a domain name which is a popular typo of a brand name website, like facebook.com, in the hopes of profiting from visitors mistyping the domain name of their desired destination. Wikipedia has been a victim of typo squatting multiple times, with domains such as “en.wikipedi.org” and “www.wiipedia.org” being registered and used to park ads and display pop-up windows.

Cyber squatting is now illegal under US federal law; an amendment called the Anti cyber squatting Consumer Protection Act was added to the Communications Act in 1999. This amendment makes people who register Domain Names that are trademarks or individual’s names, with the sole intention of profiting from goodwill related to that trademark or person, liable to civil action. Various large companies who were victims of cyber squatting, including Panasonic and Harrods, have taken advantage of this amendment and had their domain names restored to them; others prefer to skip the litigation and pay up for ownership of the domain. In order for a cyber squatter to be proven guilty, it must be shown that:

• the domain name registrant had a bad-faith intention to profit from the trademark

• the trademark was distinctive at the time the domain name was first registered

• the domain name is identical or confusingly similar to the trademark

• the trademark qualifies for protection under federal trademark law

This strictness of the requirements for the prosecution provides the small domain speculator with a degree of protection from businesses snatching domain names that were registered in good faith, a practice known as reverse domain hijacking. Not all cases are clear cut such as a case of an alleged cyber squatter digging their heels in is that of “Mr Charbucks”, a site owned by Wolfe’s Borough Coffee. Starbucks claimed, in December 2005, that the Mr Charbucks site “diluted” their brand, an assertion which Wolfe’s strongly contested. The court decided ultimately that the defendant’s trademarks did not infringe the Starbucks trademark, nor dilute or tarnish the brand. It’s also interesting to note that cyber squatting laws are not infringed if the intention is not to profit from the name. Poking fun is perfectly acceptable, as Verizon Wireless discovered when they tried to invoke the cyber squatting act against the registrant of www.verizonreallysucks.com (one of Verizon’s lawyers having registered www.verizonsucks.com in a backfiring attempt to avert just such a situation). Because hacker ezine 2600 Magazine were not intending to sell on the site or hijack Verizon’s traffic for profit, they were deemed innocent and allowed to keep the name. Incidentally, to prove his point, 2600 editor Emmanuel Goldstein registered VerizonShouldSpendMoreTimeFixingItsNetworkAndLessMoneyOnLawyers.com.

It can be seen that it is worthwhile to be careful of trademark infringements when registering a domain, in order to avoid any possible future legal proceedings.